Webster First is Working Smarter, Not Harder with Yext, Investing in Streamlined Operations and Enhanced Customer Insights

With over $1.5 billion in assets and over 90,000 members served throughout central and eastern Massachusetts, Webster First Federal Credit Union has emerged as one of the most trustworthy credit unions in the greater New England region. Positioned as "your local credit union you can trust," the company prides itself on helping its customers make sound financial decisions based on trustworthy advice.

"Financial decision-making really is in our DNA, " says John Cournoyer, VP of Marketing & Communication at Webster First. "Our members feel that we're open and honest. We're ultimately looking out for their best interest, whether it's qualifying for a loan or opening an account."

Since 1928, Webster First has expanded across the region and has merged with several other credit unions over the last decade, including Saugus Federal, Fitchburg Federal, Winthrop Federal, Filene Federal, Industrial, Louise Mills Federal and Cambridge Teachers Federal Credit Union.

But that evolution came with growing pains, especially for the credit union's agile three-person marketing team.

"The information on all of our brand locations and offices was almost scattered to the winds with these different location-based services," Cournoyer says. "It was hard to monitor and stay on top of that data, not to mention the day-to-day branch updates or the branding changes that came with acquisitions."

Since being referred by Yext client Harland Clarke in 2018, Webster First has never missed a renewal with Yext. Leveraging solutions provided by the Yext Digital Presence Platform, Webster First has successfully streamlined its listings management, saving the team time and ensuring that individual branch information is consistently up-to-date and accurate for members across the region.

"I remember walking through the demo, just going through basic updates for locations, and that was the lightbulb moment for us," Cournoyer explains. "It was the realization that, 'hey, here's a solution that lets us manage all of our information in one spot."

Yext also helps Webster First manage its reviews, an essential part of reinforcing member trust for the credit union. By using Yext's Generative Review Response feature, Webster First is able to quickly respond to reviews in real time, with relevant information that helps members get the answers they need and the service they deserve.

"It's my job to monitor reviews throughout the day, and Yext has made it super easy to be notified of new reviews and respond to them," says Angela Talbot, Content Marketing Manager at Webster First. "I've loved seeing how Yext has improved over the last few years, especially the new generative AI review response feature – it makes it even easier to respond to our reviews as quickly as possible!"

And, with review insights generated through the Yext Platform, Webster First is able to monitor for areas of improvement throughout the company. With customer insights from reviews, Webster First has already been able to recognize specific employees for excellent service and performance. The company has also been brainstorming other ways to give its members well-deserved shout-outs for sharing their thoughts and feedback.

Features offered by the Yext Platform have become an integral part of Webster First's digital evolution. Just last year, the credit union signed up for Yext's Search feature, which has not only made searching for information on Webster First's website easy for members, but enabled content updates based on customer insights, helping uncover and fill content gaps.

Cournoyer gives an example: "We partner with a lot of car dealerships, and people purchasing vehicles are financing with us. These new members often don't really know who Webster First is, they're just getting a notice asking to finance their vehicle with us, so they get on our website and start searching for info on how to pay their car loan," he explains. "With Yext, we've been able to see that traffic and ask ourselves what we can do to adjust our site content and UX to make it easier to find the information they need."

But beyond the features and tools, the support and education that Yext provides is what keeps Webster First coming back.

"The team at Yext has been so transparent in helping coach and guide us along this journey – we see the team as experts," Cournoyer says. "Yext is a very natural fit to our digital strategy."

"And the comprehensive Hitchhikers guide Yext has is awesome," Talbot adds. "It shows everyone on our team how they can use the platform. We especially love joining the webinars to learn about topics like SEO, and other areas where we can improve our operations."

The value speaks for itself: Yext has made Webster First more efficient, agile, and streamlined, helping the credit union work smarter, not harder.

For more information on Webster First Federal Credit Union, visit https://www.websterfirst.com/